


Space

by fmpsimon



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, FFXV, Friendship, Friendship/Love, M/M, Promptis - Freeform, Romance, bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-11 05:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8957056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fmpsimon/pseuds/fmpsimon
Summary: As a child raised in a time of war, Noctis knew he would have to give up a lot in his life.  He was prepared to fight for his home, prepared to make sacrifices, even prepared to give up his own life, but he wasn’t ready to lose his best friend.  Pre-departure to Alstissia.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress, people. I may edit things I've already posted. I will try to update this note if that's the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you this was a work in progress: here's a prologue for you.
> 
> Thanks to all who are reading, commenting, and leaving kudos! I so appreciate you! You are the reason I keep writing!!

                “What happened to you?”  Noctis stared at Prompto as the teenager stood outside the arcade, a bloody handkerchief pressed to his nose.  Prompto lowered his hand.  His nose had stopped bleeding, but he had a gash in his lip and a purple bruise blooming on his cheek.  Noctis gaped at him, at a loss for words.  This wasn’t the first time he’d seen his friend like this in the short time he’d known him.

                Prompto looked up, a little surprised to see the prince of Lucis standing there.  He cringed, and Noctis noticed the camera clutched in his hand.  “That bad, huh?”  He touched his face and winced.  “I’d better go home and clean myself up.”

                “Don’t be stupid,” Noctis said without hesitation, shaking his head.  “My apartment’s just down the street.”  He gestured over his shoulder.  “C’mon.”  Prompto hesitated a moment, but eventually agreed.

                When they reached the apartment, Noctis threw his schoolbag by the door and kicked off his shoes.  Prompto stood by the door awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.  He looked around.  “Man, it’s so nice in here.  What floor is this?”

                “Yeah, it’s the penthouse,” Noctis said breezily from the kitchen.  He returned to the entryway with a glass of water and some aspirin.  “Here.”  He handed them to Prompto.  “That should help.”  He watched him take the medicine and gulp down the water.  “Bathroom’s down the hall if you want to clean up.  I’ll…order a pizza.”

                “Sure,” Prompto nodded and removed his shoes.  He stepped cautiously into the apartment.  “This way?” he said, glancing down the hall.  Noctis nodded and turned to his phone.

                “So, what happened, anyway?” Noctis pressed, nearly an hour later, reaching for another slice of pizza.  He had lost count of how many he’d eaten, but he was sure Ignis would have said it had been too many.  “I’m not letting you leave until you tell me.”

                Prompto carefully bit down his lip, averting his eyes.  With a deep sigh, he reached down pulled his camera out of his pocket.  The screen was cracked and scratched, the lens was busted, and pieces of the body were gone.  “I was just taking pictures at the park.  You know, down by the pond.”  He sniffed.  “There’s always a family of ducks down there,” he said with a small smile.  “Anyway, I guess I snapped a few of this guy’s girlfriend, and they started hassling me.  I dunno.  They smashed my camera and everything.”

                Noctis couldn’t stand that pained expression on his face.  He wanted to do something—anything—to make it go away.


	2. Prologue

                The first kiss was unexpected and clumsy.  They had been hanging out in Noctis’s apartment, like they often did.  They had talked about music, complained about Gladiolus’s intense training and Ignis’s even more intense mothering.  The conversation had quickly turned to girls, and how neither one of them had a chance with any of them.  Noctis got self-deprecating, like he always did, and Prompto, though he felt significantly inferior to the prince, pretended not to be, and laughed off the comments.  The girls at school would have been lucky to get someone as great as Noctis.  And then, out of nowhere, Prompto had kissed Noctis’s cheek.  Then he had turned bright red and sputtered out some preposterous lie about how it had been an accident, but Noctis had stopped his lips with a kiss.

                And at some point, their nights of hanging out had turned into clothes strewn, furious make-out sessions that always ended in the question, “Should we?”  But they never did, because somehow, actually having sex was crossing a line.  An invisible line that neither one of them ever spoke about, but that they were both acutely aware of.

                Noctis straddled Prompto on the bed and whipped his shirt off.  He placed his hands back on Prompto’s wrists, holding him down.  He hovered over him, about to go in for another kiss, when he suddenly stopped, distracted.  He’d known for several days now: the marriage to Luna had all but been set in stone now.  But he hadn’t told his best friend about it.  His best friend, who was lying underneath him, half-naked, and flushed.

                “What is it?” Prompto said.  “What’s that look for?”

                Noctis shook his head, focusing again on Prompto.  He had to push the wedding from his mind.  “Nothing.”  He leaned down, kissing him deeply.  Prompto responded in kind.  They broke apart and Noctis rolled aside.  He leaned back against the headboard, putting his knees up and resting his elbows on them.

                “Noct, what’s wrong?”  The blonde furrowed his brow, looking up at him.  “C’mon!  You’re just gonna sit there?”  He didn’t respond, so Prompto followed suit and sat up.  He put a hand on Noctis’s knee, casually running his thumb over the denim.  “What’s up?”

                Noctis sighed deeply, hiding his face behind his dark hair.  “There’s something I need to tell you.”

                “Geez, so serious,” Prompto teased.

                “It is serious,” Noctis said, giving him a dark look.

                Prompto recoiled and Noctis kicked himself for being the reason for the hurt look in his eyes.  “What’s going on?”

                Noctis took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.  He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door.  His head snapped up and he looked at Prompto, eyes wide.  “Closet,” he mouthed.  Prompto leapt off the bed, grabbing his jacket, and quickly and quietly shut himself into the closet.

                There was another knock at the door.  “Noct, I’m coming in, whether you’re decent or not.”  The door opened and Ignis stepped in.  He tugged at his gloves, staring at the prince, who was lying on the bed, his hands behind his head.  “What are you doing in here?”

                Noctis faked a yawn.  “I _was_ taking a nap,” he said, opening one eye.

                Ignis folded his arms.  “Where’s your shirt?”

                “I dunno,” Noctis shrugged, sitting up.  “On the floor, probably.”

                Ignis let out an exasperated sigh as he walked across the room to pick up the shirt.  “You may want to work on your tidiness in the next few months.”  Noctis kept an eye on him as he folded the shirt and placed it at the edge of the bed.  “I highly doubt Lady Lunafreya would be impressed by your throwing dirty clothes on the floor.”

                Noctis rolled his eyes.  “Don’t be such a hard ass—that’s what the palace staff is for.”

                The corners of his mouth twitched, but Ignis did not smile.  “I’d be offended if I thought you actually meant that.”

                “I did mean it,” Noctis said flatly.  It was a lie.

                Ignis ignored him.  “Shouldn’t you be studying?”  Noctis groaned, running his hand through his hair.  “There’s more to being king than just being waited on hand and foot.”

                “Yeah, I’m not really interested in those other parts,” the prince said lazily.

                “I’ve left some financial reports on your dining table.”  Noctis let out a frustrated grunt and flopped back onto the bed.  “Your father wants you at the board meeting tomorrow afternoon, prepared to contribute.  Or at least be knowledgeable enough to understand what they’re talking about.  I _did_ tell him that was going to be quite a feat for you.”  Noctis rolled his eyes again, but took the insult.  “I’ll pick you up at noon.”

                “Whatever.”

                Ignis loomed over him, wearing a deep frown.  “Start caring.  In a few months, you’re going to be married to Lady Lunafreya.”  There was a dull thump from the closet and Ignis turned towards it, suspicious.  After a moment, he turned back to the prince.  “I can guarantee you _she_ won’t put up with this attitude.”  Noctis looked away as Ignis walked to the door.  He turned around before he left.  “I don’t want to be the hard one.  I want to see you make the right choices, and I’d prefer that you made them on your own.  This marriage…” he began, pausing.  “It’s vital to maintain the peace.  And _you’re_ vital.  You’re not just the prince of Lucis, you’re our hope as well.”  Noctis nodded.

                When he heard the front door close again, he slowly got up and walked over to the closet.  He opened the door, facing Prompto.  He’d never seen him look so hurt and so completely crushed.  His hands fell to his sides.  He was at a loss—he couldn’t begin to find the words to explain.  “Prompto,” he began.

                His friend shook his head.  “You’re engaged?” he said, his tone dripping with disbelief and hurt.

                “Look, it’s—you need to understand—” Noctis stammered.  Prompto stared at him, agape.  “It’s arranged—part of the peace treaty with the Nifs.”

                Prompto ran a hand through his hair, resting his hand on the back of his neck, the spot where he always carried his tension.  The spot Noctis had pressed his lips against minutes ago.  “Were you going to tell me?  Or was I supposed to see it on TV?”  He was flushed with embarrassment.  Noctis felt even worse.  If anyone should have been embarrassed, it should have been him.  Prompto waited for a response that never came.  He let out a sigh and started past him, averting his eyes.  “I should go.  It sounds like you have a lot to do.  I don’t want to get in the way.”

                “Wait, can I just explain?”  Noctis expected him to be angry, but he was just looking at him like a wounded animal, his shoulders hunched.

                Prompto pulled on his jacket.  “What’s there’s to explain?” he said.  “You’re getting married.”  He left the room.  Noctis quickly put his t-shirt back on and followed him out.  He caught up with Prompto at the door as he was pulling his boots on.  Once he got them on, he straightened up.  Averting his eyes, he rubbed the back of his neck again.  “I never expected this to go anywhere.  Really, I didn’t.”  He looked up, meeting Noctis’s eyes, but his hand was already on the doorknob.  “You’re gonna be king someday.  The king can’t be gay, right?”

                “Prompto,” Noctis murmured, but it was too late.  His best friend was already stepping out the door.  He roughly dragged his hands through his hair, groaning in frustration.  Letting out a growl that probably made Prompto flinch, he whirled around, and punched a hole straight through the wall.  “Fuck!”  He slammed his fists on the wall again, pressing his head against it.  He was angry at Ignis at first.  If he hadn’t said anything, Prompto wouldn’t have been hurt, and wouldn’t have stormed off.  But as he lay in bed later that night, he knew the night would have ended the same way whether Ignis had shown up or not.  He couldn’t change the fact that he was marrying Luna.  It was unavoidable.  He didn’t want to marry her.  And it wasn’t that he didn’t care for her—he did.  She was like a sister to him.  He didn’t want to marry at all.  And he didn’t want to be king, for that matter.

                He glanced at the clock.  It was close to midnight.  He reached for his phone and dialed.  It seemed to ring forever.  But just when he was getting ready to leave a voicemail, he heard Prompto’s voice.  “Hey.”

                “Hey.  Sorry to call so late.  I just…wanted to talk.”  The silence was awkward and, most of all, weird.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Luna.  I guess I thought…if I ignored it, it wouldn’t happen.  Which was stupid,” he added.

                There was silence, and then Prompto said, “Did you know before we…?”  He trailed off.

                “I only found out last week,” Noctis said.  “It’s part of the peace treaty with the Empire.”  He paused.  “They haven’t made any official announcements yet.  Probably will soon,” he added bitterly.

                “It’ll be in all the papers,” Prompto said quietly, and every time he spoke, it wrenched his heart.  Prompto exhaled shakily on the other end.  “We should probably…end things…y’know, before anyone finds out.  But don’t worry about me, Noct.  I’ll be fine.”

                “Dammit!” Noctis growled, clenching his fist.  “You think this is easy for me?  You think it’s nothing for me to cast you aside like yesterday’s paper?  If this was easy, I would have told you the day I found out!  I didn’t, because I didn’t want to hurt you, and I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to figure out a way to tell my best friend that I can’t be with him.”  He squeezed his eyes shut, grateful for the privacy that the phone provided him as hot tears slid down his cheeks.

                “I’m sorry,” was all Prompto could say.

                “Sorry?  Don’t be sorry!  Be angry!” Noctis nearly shouted.  “Stop being such a doormat, and stand up for yourself!”

                “What do you want me to say?” he demanded.  “You want me to march up to the king and tell him that you can’t marry Luna, because you’re with me?”  He let out a rueful laugh.  “Yeah, I’m sure _that_ would go over just swell.”  He paused, sighing.  “It’s out of my control—it’s out of _your_ control.  So I’m not gonna blame you or be mad at you.  But we can’t…things can’t be the same anymore.  Okay?  They just can’t.  ‘Cause I don’t think I can take it.”

                Noctis blinked.  “So, what?  We’re not friends anymore?”

                “We’re always gonna be friends, Noct.  Let’s just give each other some space for a while, okay?”

                He sat, slack-jawed, staring at nothing.  He didn’t realize how long he was silent until he heard his friend’s voice again.  “Noct?  Are you still there?”

                Noctis nodded, even though Prompto couldn’t see him.  “Yeah, sure.  Space.  That’s…that’s probably for the best.”

                “Yeah.”

                “Yeah.”

                “I’ll see you around, then,” Prompto said.

                “See you around.”  Noctis waited until his phone flashed that the call had ended.  He wiped the tears from his face, dropping his phone at his side.  Space.  That would help.  And time.  Things would be better.  He just needed to give it time.  Besides, he had important things to do, and romantic entanglements would just distract him.  He grabbed the reports from his bedside table, and spent the rest of the night studying them.


	3. Chapter Two

                “Noct!”

                He padded over to the entryway, still wearing his slippers.  Ignis was standing there, dressed in his usual suit and tie, holding a cup of coffee and a brown paper bag.  “You’re early,” was all Noct said.

                “I brought you breakfast,” Ignis said, setting the items down.  “Not to mention, I didn’t know if you would be up yet.  It was a late night.”  He eyed the hole in the sheetrock.  “Noct, is everything all right?” he said carefully.

                Noctis ignored him and grabbed the bag.  He pulled out the pastry and started eating, dropping crumbs as he walked around the apartment.  Midway through the pastry, he paused and stared at it.  “What are these orange things?”

                Ignis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.  “They’re called carrots.”

                Noctis’s eyes flicked up at him, and the dark circles under them were clearly visible now.  “Are carrots vegetables?” he asked irritably.

                “Yes,” Ignis began slowly, “but they’re nutritious and they taste just lovely in pastries.”

                “I hate vegetables.”  Noctis walked to the garbage can and, with a pointed glare at his driver, dropped the pastry in.  He picked up the cup and took the top off.  “There better not be any vegetables in here.”

                Ignis sighed again, shaking his head.  “I assure you, it’s just coffee.”  He watched Noctis drink with his arms crossed, then he checked his watch.  “If we don’t leave, we’re going to be late.  You don’t want to disappoint your father, do you?”

                Noctis rolled his eyes and tilted the cup up, gulping down the rest.  When he was finished, he lazily tossed the cup into the sink and dragged himself to the door.

                Ignis narrowed his eyes and swept the crumbs off of Noctis’s suit as he stood there.  He glanced sidelong at the wall.  “Are you going to tell me what happened here?”

                “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the prince replied flatly.

                “There’s a hole in your wall.”  Ignis pulled Noctis’s tie out and started fixing the knot.  He never did it right.  “That hole wasn’t there when I left yesterday evening.”

                “I dunno,” Noctis said tiredly.  “Maybe there’s a rat problem.”

                “Over my dead body,” Ignis said, frowning.  He tapped his chin.  “Although, I would be interested to see a rat so large it could consume sheetrock.”

                Noctis put his hand on the doorknob.  “Can we just get this over with?”

                “Come now, I’m starting to think you don’t _like_ me, Noct,” Ignis said, fixing his jacket.  Noctis stared up at him blankly.  “If you insist.  Are all the doors locked?”

                “Yes,” the prince replied, pulling on the door.

                “Even the patio?”

                “ _Yes_.”  Noctis yanked on the door and walked out.  The Regalia was waiting outside and he hopped into the back seat.

                There was silence for a long while, and then Ignis broke it.  “Did you read the reports I brought over?”

                “Mm-hm.”  He heard another hiss from his companion, and then there was silence again.  Noctis knew he shouldn’t be moping, but he couldn’t help it, because at the end of the day, he had lost his best friend.  After this meeting, he would want to call Prompto, maybe grab a burger, but that wasn’t going to happen.  He squeezed his eyes shut, giving himself five seconds.  Five seconds to feel absolutely miserable.  But after those five seconds were up, he needed to focus on the task at hand.  He took a deep breath.

                _Five_.

                Worst case scenario: they would never be able to be friends again.

                _Four_.

                Best case: they could still hang out, but everything would be weird and awkward.  And, of course, it’d be all over in a few months, anyway, since he would be getting married.  God, was that really the best case scenario?

                _Three_.

                Was Prompto at home feeling miserable too?  Did he miss him?  Or was he regretting every moment they’d spent together?

                _Two_.

                He opened his eyes.  They had reached the palace.  “One,” he breathed.  He got out of the car, smoothed out his suit, straightened his tie, and marched up the stairs.  He didn’t say much at the meeting, but he listened, trying to soak up as much of what they were saying as he could.  When it was over, he didn’t have a chance to speak with his father, as Regis was immediately whisked away to another engagement.

                Noctis stepped out into the hallway, loosening his tie.  He felt at ease here, but at the same time, he felt like a stranger.  He supposed that was normal.  He hadn’t called this place home for years.

                “You look like shit,” came a voice behind him.

                He turned around, facing his trainer.  He put his hands on his hips and smirked.  “Well, look what the cat dragged in.  Long time no see.”  Gladiolus Amicitia smirked back at him.  “What are you doing here?”

                “Working,” Gladio said, crossing his arms.

                Noctis eyed him.  He had a new scar on his face that stretched from his left eye down to his cheek.  Must have been the product of a few months outside the city.  “I suppose now that you’re back, you think I’m gonna train with you again.”

                “The thought crossed my mind,” Gladio said with a laugh.

                Noctis’s phone buzzed in his pocket.  He pulled it out.  A message from Ignis.  Noctis sighed.  “Look, I gotta go.  My babysitter’s waiting for me.”

                Gladio smiled.  “How is Iggy?  Still got that stick up his ass?”

                “We’ll catch up later,” Noctis said, hurrying off.  When he left the building, Ignis was waiting for him.  He got into the car, and they started back to the apartment.  The sun was starting to go down.  Noctis looked out the window, watching the other cars go by.  His mind started to wander, and he wondered if Prompto was okay.

                Ignis eyed him in the rear view mirror.  “You’re oddly quiet today.  Even for you,” he added suspiciously.  Noctis ignored him, resting his head on his hand and staring out the window.  The Regalia traveled swiftly and smoothly over the highway, and the only sound was the hum of the engine.  Ignis preferred it that way, and today Noctis didn’t even care.  Ignis cleared his throat softly.  “What’s the matter?  You haven’t even complained about the radio being off.”

                “It’s nothing,” the prince said flatly.  His focus had completely fizzled out, and he was just feeling sorry for himself again.

                “Somehow I doubt that,” Ignis muttered.  He was silent a moment.  “It’s Prompto, isn’t it?”  Noctis tried not to react, to let on, but he did glance at his driver’s reflection in the mirror.  Ignis’s eyes turned to the road.  “I know about your feelings for each other.  There’s no sense in pretending.”

                Noctis gaped at him.  They had always been so careful about covering their tracks.  He had thought that nothing, save video surveillance in his bedroom, could have given them away.  “Were you _spying_ on me?” he said, incredulous.

                “I would never!” Ignis replied, offended.

                Noctis’s eyes darted back and forth, until they finally rested back on the driver.  “How did you know?”

                Ignis let out a small sigh.  “I may not have been able to see him, but his _shoes_ were always quite visible by the front door.  Noctis let out an exasperated noise through his gritted teeth, looking away.  God, he was such an idiot.  “Tell me what happened.”  At the prince’s eye roll, he went on, “It may make you feel better to get it off your chest.  What happened?”

                “You should know,” Noctis snapped.  “You were there, scolding me about not being good enough for Luna.  God, and you _knew_ he was in the closet the whole time!”  Noctis grunted in frustration, pulling at his hair.

                “I didn’t know for certain,” Ignis said calmly.

                Noctis kicked the back of the seat, resting his foot there.  “It doesn’t matter,” he said bitterly.  “It wasn’t going to last anyway.”

                “Well, it’s better to have loved and lost,” Ignis began nostalgically.

                “This is different,” Noctis interrupted him.  “Prompto is my best friend.  Hell, he might be my _only_ friend, really.”

                “I’m your friend,” Ignis said, glancing at him.  “Gladiolus is your friend.”

                “Tch, not the same,” Noctis said, waving his hand.  “You’re like mentors.  You’re on another level.  He was…my equal.”  He furrowed his brow.

                “Well, I’m sure Prompto would be happy to hear you say that,” Ignis replied softly.

                “Maybe,” Noctis said pensively.  “If I ever see him again.”  He frowned as they pulled up to the apartment building.  He got out of the car and turned when he heard the window rolling down.

                “I’ll send someone to fix that hole in your wall,” Ignis called.

                “Okay,” Noctis shrugged.  He started walking.

                “And Noct?”  He glanced back.  “Things will work out.”

                Noctis scoffed, then turned away.  He ran his hand through his hair, standing at his front door, holding the key in his hand, not ready to go in.  He clutched the keys with white knuckles.  He didn’t want to go back inside, to face reality.  He took a shaky breath, unlocked the door, and went inside.  Seeing the hole in the wall made him feel worse, so he quickly walked past and collapsed on the couch.  He pulled out his phone.  No missed calls, no text messages.

                He struggled to make himself dinner.  It was Friday night.  They always went out on Friday nights.  He sighed.  Not anymore.  “Who am I kidding?” he muttered to himself.   _It was always going to end this way_.  He dropped the pan in the sink and sat down at the small table, eating his burned grilled cheese alone.


	4. Chapter Three

                Prompto hated being alone.  Even though he had spent most of his life alone, he had forgotten what it felt like.  Since he and Noctis became friends, that hole in his life had been filled.  He didn’t really have parents; they were shadowy figures who left him food once in a while and made sure he had money in his bank account.  It was his deepest, darkest secret.  It was a secret even Noctis didn’t know.  Someday he would tell him, maybe, if they could ever get past this point in their lives.  His house was spotless: he’d cleaned the bathroom, kitchen, living room, even his bedroom.  His bedroom had taken the longest, not because it was particularly messy, but because every few minutes he found something that reminded him of Noctis.  The photographs alone, that were strewn about the room, had taken almost an entire day to put away.

                “Man up,” he told himself, wiping his tears.  He hefted the box of pictures up and shoved it into his closet.

                A few hours later, he found himself outside, wandering the streets, his camera slung over his shoulder.  He checked his phone as he walked.  No missed calls, no texts.  He shook his head.  _He’s not going to call, you idiot._   He exhaled shakily.  Noct had probably already moved on with his life.  It had been almost three weeks since that night.  There was no way he was all weepy and pathetic.  He was strong, he knew his place.  Prompto scoffed, thinking about his own place in the world…or lack thereof.

                He walked down the steep hill to the pond.  He always came here when he was feeling down.  The park was his safe place.  Birds were chirping madly in the trees.  It would have made him happy if he hadn’t been feeling like shit.  He stopped at the edge of the pond, looking out over the water.  He squinted, searching for them, but they weren’t there either.  The family of ducks had left too.  Moved on to some other pond, he figured.

                He stared at the camera in his hands.  Noct had given it to him a few years ago to replace his broken one.  He smiled sadly, realizing the prince had been the only one to really encourage his photography.

                “Thought I’d find you here.”

                Prompto turned around.  “Ignis!  Uh, what are you doing here?”

                Ignis strode down the hill, stopping a few feet in front of him.  “I was looking for you,” he said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

                Prompto tried to laugh it off and play it cool.  “What for?”  He crossed his arms, smiling crookedly.  “Shouldn’t you be babysitting Noct or something?”

                “Actually, that’s what I came to talk to you about,” Ignis said, frowning.  Prompto eyed him.  “But first: how are you?”

                “Uh, good…I guess,” Prompto shrugged.

                “Hm, well, Noctis…isn’t,” Ignis said.

                Prompto frowned.  “Oh.”

                Ignis shook his head.  “I don’t know the details of what was going on between you two—I don’t need to,” he added when Prompto recoiled.  “But since you’ve separated, he’s become withdrawn, irritable, and argumentative, the likes of which I haven’t seen since his mother passed.”  Prompto rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say.  It didn’t comfort him at all to know that Noctis was suffering too.  “I don’t want to keep you any longer than necessary,” Ignis continued, “but perhaps you could try to patch things up.  Bury the hatchet on that chapter of your lives and start anew.”

                “He’s really that bad, huh?” Prompto said, worry written all over his face.  Ignis gave the slightest nod.  He bit his lip and turned his head towards the pond again.  “I do miss him.”  The faintest smile spread over his lips.  “And he’s basically my only friend.”

                Ignis smiled warmly.  “He said as much about you.”

                Prompto’s face brightened a bit.  “He did?”  He felt his heart skip a beat.  Noct still thought of him as a friend—he still wanted to _be_ friends.  Right now, Prompto just wanted the chance to have that again.  After their breakup, it had taken him all of a few hours to realize the mistake he had made, but he had been terrified to reach out to Noctis ever since.  It was his own fault, listening to that little voice in his head that always told him he wasn’t good enough—that he was worthless.

                “All I ask is that you think about it,” Ignis said at length.  “Romantic feelings aside, the two of you have a special bond, and neither one of you should be willing to throw it away this easily.”

                Prompto nodded, blinking.  “Sure.  You’re right.”  Ignis gave a small nod, then turned away.  He watched him go, clutching his camera.

Noctis, in an effort to maintain some semblance of sanity, poured what energy he had into training.  He pushed thoughts of Prompto and the wedding from his mind and tried to focus on training with Gladio, spending hours on end working on his form and sparring with him.  He sparred with Ignis as well.  They all needed a lot of training before they would have to leave the citadel, which was only a few weeks away.  There was no telling what they’d encounter on the outside.  Animals, though beautiful at times, could also be very dangerous.  And when the sun went down, they would have daemons to reckon with, should they find themselves stranded at night.  Gladio trained with a two-handed sword—that was his specialty—while Ignis used daggers.  He also helped Noctis with his elemancy.  He struggled with that the most.  Somehow, he still managed to set fire to things outside his target range.  His stomach turned when he remembered that Prompto was supposed to teach him to shoot.  After a few years of studying, he was the resident ballistics expert of the group.  Noctis had always been terrible with handguns.

                “Don’t get sloppy!” Gladio yelled, pulling him back into the moment.  At the last second, Noctis whipped his sword up to block Gladio’s broadsword.  He had to use both hands to push his opponent away, and he took a sharp breath in through his teeth his own blade sliced through his glove into his skin.

                “Gah, damn it!”

                Gladio backed off and Noctis dropped his sword.  “C’mon, Noct, you have to be tougher than that,” he called while Noctis wrapped a towel around his hand.

                The prince glared at him.  “You nearly sliced my hand off!” he growled.

                Gladio rested his blade on his shoulder, shaking his head.  “Look, you may not like it, but I’m here to ensure that _you_ learn how to protect yourself.”

                “I thought that was _your_ job,” Noctis snapped.

                “Hey.”  Gladio grabbed his shoulder with a strong hand.  “The things out there are gonna do a lot worse than cut your hand.  You need to toughen up.”  He was never one to mince words.  Noctis glared at him.  Gladio had the annoying habit of being just like his father, lecturing him with unrelenting tough love.

                He ripped his arm away.  “I _am_ tough.”

                “Really?  ‘Cause it seems like you’re not focused on your training.”  Noctis scoffed, clutching his wounded hand.  He took a few steps, but he felt Gladio’s eyes on him.  “You’re preoccupied.”  _Here we go.  Lecture time_.  “You’ve been like this for weeks.  You show up late, you’re not focused, and now you’re slipping up.  I’m going _easy_ on you.  The monsters out there,” he said, extending his arm, “they’re not gonna give you a break if you have a headache.  And they’re not gonna stop the fight if you get a little cut on your hand.”  He sighed.  “On top of everything else, I’m tired of lying to the king about your progress.”

                Noctis whirled around, his eyes wide.  “Lying?  For me?  _Don’t bother_ ,” he snarled.  “Tell him the truth!  Tell him what a screw-up I am—how I’ll never be able to take his place!  God forbid I ever get a shot at a normal life!”  By now he was red in the face and he was clenching his fists so hard that blood was dripping to the floor.

                Gladio sighed again, rubbing his forehead.  “Look, I know this isn’t about your father,” he rasped.  Noctis scoffed.  “And you’re not fooling anyone.  Not me, not Ignis.  The only one you’re fooling is yourself.”

                Noctis stared at the floor stubbornly.  “Stop pretending you know anything about me.  You’re my mentor, at best.  We’re _not_ friends.  I don’t have any friends,” he muttered, stalking off.

                “Hey!” Gladio shouted after him.  “We’re not done here.”

                “Yes, we are,” Noctis said, pushing the door open.  He dripped blood as he walked.  He didn’t care.  He was upset because he let Gladio get under his skin again.  He let him poke and prod at him, until all his unresolved feelings for Prompto bubbled to the surface again.  He had worked hard to bury them deep inside and that jerk had undone everything.  _Fuck him_.  His phone buzzed in his pocket.  He ignored it, letting it ring.  It was probably Gladio or Ignis, or, God forbid, his dad.  Another lecture, no doubt.  It was good he’d be leaving, because at the end of the trip, he would be far away from all three of them…at least for a little while.  The plan was for he and Luna to live in Insomnia, but now he just wanted to get as far away from the city as possible.

                His phone vibrated again.  With an exasperated sigh, he stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out the phone.  He looked at it with hard eyes, but when he read the name, his breath caught in his throat, and the phone slipped out of his hand.  “Shit,” he cursed, fumbling for the phone with his one good hand.  Kneeling on the ground, he managed to slide his finger across the screen to answer the call.  “Hey,” he said breathlessly.  His voice was shaky, shakier than it should have been.

                “Hey,” came Prompto’s voice.  He sounded okay, almost like himself.

                “How…how are you?” Noctis said hesitantly.  He struggled to toe the line between interested and desperate.

                “Okay, I guess,” Prompto replied.  “How are you?”

                _Tell him the truth, tell him the truth_.  “Same,” he said instead.  There was silence on the other end, and Noctis felt his chest tightening.

                “So, I saw Ignis today,” Prompto said finally.  “He seemed good.”  Noctis narrowed his eyes, wondering what Ignis would be doing seeking out Prompto.

                “Yeah,” Noctis said lamely, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.  “We’ve all been training nonstop—Ignis, Gladio, me.  There’s not much time left to prepare before we…leave…”  He trailed off.

                “I bet.  Must be exciting,” Prompto said.  Noctis could tell he was trying to sound happy, but it just came out forced.

                “You should be there with us,” Noctis blurted out.

                “What?  Me?  No way,” Prompto scoffed.  “I don’t know how to do any of that stuff.”

                “No, I’m serious,” Noctis said, fierce determination in his eyes.  “I want you to come with.  You’re the best shot I’ve ever seen, so don’t give me that crap about not being good enough.”  He smiled, though no one could see it.  “My father wants me to have an entourage—protection,” he corrected himself.  “I didn’t get a choice with Gladio and Ignis, but I want you to be with me.”

                “Noct,” Prompto said, his voice pained.

                “You’re my _best friend_ , Prompto,” Noctis continued.  “Everything else aside, I…I can’t do this without you.”

                Prompto paused, then said, “Are you…um, do you really mean all that?”

                “Of course I do!”  Noctis ran a hand through his hair.  “Wait, Prompt—where are you?  I’m gonna pick you up.”

                “Uh, I’m at the park,” Prompto said.  “But—”

                “Just—don’t move.  I’m coming to get you.”

                Prompto stared down at his phone for a moment.  It was getting dark, so he walked to the edge of the park and stood by the curb.  He took a deep breath, grasped his wrist, and waited.


	5. Chapter Four

                “Well, I’m a full-fledged Crownsguard member now!” Prompto announced when he opened the door.  The grin on his face was genuine as he stuck out his chest, showing off his new garb.  “Well, in appearance, at least,” he added, smirking.

                “Wow,” Noctis said, cracking a smile.  “You look great.”  He stared at his best friend, who, it seemed, was an entirely new person from a few weeks prior.  Well, not new.  It was more like the new old Prompto.  He seemed to have a new lease on life, and he was excited about the road trip, to the point where he was already getting on Gladio’s nerves.

                “Thanks!” he said brightly.  “I wanted to wear it out so everyone could see my new, awesome threads.”  He patted Noctis on the arm as he walked by.  “So, are you ready for this?  A couple of nights on the road, and then we set sail for Altissia.”  It bothered Noctis a little that he was so pumped for the trip, but he wouldn’t say anything.  If this was his way of coping and moving on, he wouldn’t stop him.

                “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Noctis replied.  “How’s that trigger finger?”

                Prompto made a gun with his hands and flexed his fingers.  “Seems to be in working order,” he said with a laugh.  He flopped down on the couch.  “How’s your hand, anyway?  Did you get the stitches out yet?”

                “Yeah, a few days ago.”  Noctis ran his fingers over the new scar on his palm.  “I can hardly even tell it’s there.”  He pulled out his phone idly.  “Ignis and Gladio will be here soon.  They’re bringing pizza.”  He nodded at him.  “You’d better change out of those clothes before Iggy sees.  He’d never forgive you if you showed up to the wedding with a grease stain.”

                “Right!”  He jumped up and jogged towards Noctis’s room before stopping in his tracks.  “Do you have any…?”

                “Take whatever you want,” Noctis said.  Prompto grinned and ran off.  “Not my black t-shirt, though!  I’m bringing that with!”  He frowned.  It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy that Prompto had moved on.  He _was_ happy for him.  But why hadn’t he?  He sighed.  Probably because he was getting married and going into the family business.  Prompto, on the other hand, got to have his life; he got to choose how to live it.

                “I saw Iris at the palace,” Prompto called.  He pulled the tank top down and Noctis caught a glimpse of his pale abdomen.  He didn’t recognize the shirt.  It was red.  He was pretty sure he didn’t own anything that color.

                “Where’d you find that?” he said, narrowing his eyes.

                Prompto looked down.  “In your closet.”  He smiled crookedly.  “I think it’s one of mine, actually.”  He shrugged and Noctis felt an ache in his chest.  “Anyway, she was looking for you.”

                “Huh?” Noctis said, dazed.

                “Iris.”  Prompto shook his head, eyeing him.

                Noctis tried to snap out of it.  He couldn’t let on.  If he needed to pretend and lie, then that’s what he was going to do.  “Right, yeah, she called.  Wanted to say goodbye.  And congratulations,” he muttered.

                Prompto sat down next to him.  “She has such a crush on you,” he said.

                “What?”  Noctis leaned forward, gaping at him.

                “Yep.”  Prompto leaned back, crossing his legs.  He seemed to really be enjoying this revelation.  “Everybody knows.”

                “No way,” Noctis said with a laugh.  “Who knows?”

                “Everybody but you, apparently.”  Prompto grinned, laughing.  He poked Noctis in the ribs, knowing exactly how ticklish he was.  Noctis fell back, trying to escape his friend’s tickling fingers and his devilish grin.  It got awkward really fast, when Prompto lost his balance and fell onto Noctis’s chest.  “Sorry.”  He pulled back quickly.  “My bad.”

                “No problem,” Noctis said, sitting up straight.  They sat in silence for a moment.  Noctis pulled out his phone again.  “I’d better see if Ignis and Gladio are on their way yet.”  He leaned away, creating a chasm between them, as he called Ignis.

                “Yeah, I’m starving.  Tell ‘em to get their asses up here with that pizza.”  That was Prompto’s attempt to diffuse the tension; it worked a little.  The doorbell rang and Noctis dropped his phone at his side.  “That was fast,” Prompto said.

                Noctis made his way to the door.  Ignis had a key.  He didn’t know why he wasn’t using it.  “Finally,” he said, opening the door.

                Gladio came through first, carrying two pizza boxes.  Prompto jumped up.  “Two?  That’s all you got?  I hope one of them is all meat.”

                “Just as long as there aren’t any vegetables on them,” Noctis said, taking the pizzas from Gladio.

                Ignis smirked.  “Enjoy it,” he said.  “Every meal after this point will be nothing but nutritious.”

                Having Ignis and Gladio there took his mind off of Prompto for the moment.  They spent most of the evening reminiscing about old times.  Prompto’s favorite part of the evening definitely was the hour and a half that they spent swapping embarrassing stories about the young prince.

                Ignis checked his watch.  “It’s getting late.  We should all probably turn in.  We’ll be making an early start tomorrow.”  He turned to Noctis.  “Are you ready, Noct?”

                Noctis nodded.  “Yeah, sure.”

                “Hey.”  Gladio put a heavy hand on his shoulder, squeezing a little harder than necessary.  “We’ll all be with you.  You’ll be fine.”

                The expert swordsman wasn’t the best at being comforting, but he tried.  Noctis forced a smile.  “Yeah, it’ll be great.”  He stood up.  “Well, I’m gonna crash.  You guys good out here?”

                “We’ve got our sleeping bags,” Ignis said with a nod.  “Don’t stay up too late.”

                Noctis glanced at Prompto as he walked to his bedroom.  His mood had definitely changed as the evening came to a close.  He had grown quiet, and whereas he had been all smiles earlier, he now wore a frown.  He stepped into his room and closed the door.  He changed and headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth.  When he came back, Prompto was sitting on his bed.  Prompto looked up at him, but didn’t speak.  Maybe he couldn’t.  Maybe all those smiles and jokes were hiding what he was really feeling.  And that hurt Noctis even more than the thought of his best friend getting over him.

                He didn’t know what to say or how to say it.  _I’m sorry for everything I put you through_.  _I wish that I was someone else so we could be together_.  _I love you_.  No, he couldn’t say any of those things.  “Do you want to sleep in here tonight?” Noctis said at length.

                Prompto bit his lip, like he was thinking about it.  Noctis knew he wasn’t.  “Why not?  I doubt there’ll be a lot of beds like this on the road.”  He fell back onto the soft feather pillow.

                “Not if Gladio has anything to say about it,” Noctis said, climbing into bed.  “Can you hit the lights?”  Prompto reached over and shut the lights off.  He pulled his shirt over his head while his companion got under the covers.  Then Prompto put his hands behind his head, peering at Noctis in the dark.

                “Talk to me.”  He frowned.  “Noct, c’mon.”

                Noctis turned to face him, then moved closer to Prompto, draping his arm over him.  Prompto curled his arm around Noctis’s shoulder and the prince laid his head down on his chest.  “I don’t know what to say,” he whispered.  “You talk.  You’re better at it than I am, anyway.”

                Prompto put his hand over Noctis’s.  “It’s gonna be okay, y’know,” he said, stroking Noctis’s hand with his thumb.  “Sure, it’s gonna be different, but that’s okay.  We still got this road trip.  And I’m gonna take lots of pictures.  It’s gonna be a blast.”

                “This isn’t making me feel better,” Noctis said, grimacing into Prompto’s shirt.  “But…nothing will.”  Tears pricked at his eyes.  “It’s like…like I’m having to say goodbye to you.”

                “Not really,” Prompto said calmly.  “Think of it this way: there’s just going to be a little more space between us.”  He stared up at the ceiling with unblinking eyes.  “That doesn’t mean that we won’t be close, or that we won’t see each other anymore.  You’re still my best friend.  You always will be, okay?”

                Noctis closed his eyes, content for the moment.  “Okay.”


End file.
